Woman bitten by dog in Bidwell Park told animal is OK

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Lauren Stornetta shows her scar she received after being bitten by a dog in lower Bidwell Park Friday. She had been taking rabies shots to be cautious of the bite wound. (Jason Halley/Staff Photo)<p class='dotPhoto'>All Chico E-R photos are available <a href='http://chicoer.mycapture.com/'>here</a>.</p>

CHICO — A young woman bitten on the arm by a dog Dec. 30 in Bidwell Park recently began treatment for exposure to rabies, but said she will halt the injections after being told the dog is current on vaccinations.

Lauren Stornetta, 21, said she is pretty confident about ending the treatment based on information from Chico Animal Control officials, who said they located the dog, and know a lot about its history, but haven”t been able to find the owners.

Stornetta, formerly a standout volleyball player at Chico High School, said she was jogging near One-Mile Recreation Area in Bidwell Park about 11 a.m. when she noticed a young couple with a dog, on leash, on the path ahead.

She said she ran wide to avoid them, but the dog broke away and came at her from the side.

Stornetta said her shirt sleeve was shredded and she had a severe wound to her arm. “It was definitely an unprovoked attack,” she said.

She stopped to gather information from the couple, who apologized for the incident, but reportedly gave her a false name and phone number. Stornetta said the couple told her the dog had been abused as a puppy and they were trying to help it.

Medical personnel who treated Stornetta at a walk-in clinic notified animal control about the bite and filed a report, said Debbie Ziemke, the victim”s mother.

Ziemke said animal control showed her daughter pictures of possible dogs and their owners they had on file from previous incidents, and she was able to pick them out.

Animal control officer Kathy Wintroath said the dog was located, but not the owners.

The dog is currently being cared for by a relative, who doesn”t know its health history.

Ziemke said she believes the dog was involved in another reported biting incident, so officials were able to track its vaccination record.

With quite a bit of information about the incident, Wintroath said putting out a public announcement through the media probably wouldn”t provide additional useful information. Ziemke said she was told the dog is probably healthy, but the family still had doubts. “We just couldn”t wait any longer,” she said, and the decision was made to seek treatment at Enloe Medical Center.

Wintroath said starting or stopping the treatment for exposure to rabies is strictly between the victim and her doctor.

On Friday, Stornetta said she had consulted with a health professional, who reportedly advised that the treatment could be stopped.

Stornetta said she received one shot, an intramuscular injection in the upper arm, and said it wasn”t too painful.

She wore a large bandage on her arm for about two weeks after the attack. She is a server at a coffee business and said customers were put off by the bandage until she told them what had happened.